“Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.”
Hebrews 12:2
You can’t walk straight while blindfolded. You can try, and maybe succeed for a while. But fairly quickly you’ll start to divert slightly to one side or the other. A National Public Radio article notes that: “Humans, apparently, slip into circles when we can’t see an external focal point, like a mountain top, a sun, a moon. Without a corrective, our insides take over and there’s something inside us that won’t stay straight.”
One of my seminary professors liked to say that the line between truth and error is as thin as a razor but as hard as a diamond. The trouble is that it’s often hard to see the line. How do I know if I’ve stepped to the side? There are so many competing messages in our world. Despite faithful and well-intentioned devotional reading and prayer in the morning, by the time you complete your daily commute to work, you may be been bombarded with dozens if not hundreds of distractions.
The apostle Paul asked the Galatian church: “You were running a good race. Who cut in on you and kept you from obeying the truth?” (Galatians 5:7)
The only way to keep going along the straight path is for us to “fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith” (Hebrews 12:2). Make no mistake, we are not saved by our ability to keep ourselves on the straight path. Jesus is the author (the source, or cause) of our faith, and also the perfecter (the completer, or finisher) of our faith. He is not only Holy God and our Lord and Savior, Jesus is the model of our faith. Only by keeping our eyes on Him and trusting in Him will we continue on the straight path.
Practically speaking this means continually asking ourselves: “Is this the most loving, God-honoring choice I could make?” Fix your eyes on Jesus, and He will guide your steps so that you will finish the race and be able to say along with Paul “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.” (2 Timothy 4:7)
Question: What distracts you (or tempts you) from the straight path?
by Darren Hewer
Used by Permission
Further Reading
• How to Experience God’s Love and Forgiveness (3 parts)
• Have You Forgiven Yourself
• Salvation Explained